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Running back Damien Harris was selected by the New England Patriots as the 87th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Harris was drafted out of the prestigious University of Alabama, where the legendary Nick Saban coached him.
Since joining the New England Patriots, Harris has significantly contributed to the team's offense when fit. He had the best season of his young NFL career in the 2021 NFL season when he had career highs across all categories. Bill Belichick and the Patriots hoped he would keep up the form and availability in the 2022 NFL season, but bad luck has struck again.
Harris picked up a thigh injury during Thursday night's loss to the Minnesota Vikings, a game the Patriots might feel they deserved to win. The damage did not seem nasty initially, but Damien Harris was spotted using crutches to walk after the match.
New England Patriots fans could be forgiven for fearing the worst, as Harris has quite the history of injuries. He missed all but two games in his rookie season, six in his sophomore year, two in his third year, and who knows how many this time around. As a result, people with Damien Harris on their fantasy lineups might want to tweak the selection.
Damien Harris fantasy outlook
As mentioned above, Damien Harris is a solid running back when fit and knows how to get fantasy points. However, he cannot get over his injury issues, and Thursday night's knock is a blow to him and the Patriots.
Recently, Harris has been the Patriots' clear number two running back option behind Rhamondre Stevenson. Unfortunately, he is unlikely to be available for the Patriots' blockbuster fixture against the Buffalo Bills in Week 13, which won't do his RB1 hopes any favors.
Damien Harris 2022 season stats
Harris has seen a drop-off from 2021's almost Pro Bowl selection performance, with the year four pro seemingly regressing. Last year Harris had a solid stat line of 929 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in 15 games.
This season has not been more of the same, no thanks to niggling injuries and health issues. He has pretty average stats (by his standards) of 383 rushing yards and three touchdowns in nine games. The New England Patriots will hope that their running back room is up and ready to replace the high-performing RB2.
